UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Robert Hickey, associate professor of materials science and engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, will receive the American Physical Society’s 2025 John H. Dillon Medal, the society announced today, Oct. 15.

The medal, awarded annually since 1983, recognizes the exceptional early career research accomplishments of young polymer physicists. Hickey will receive the award at the APS Global Physics Summit in March 2025 in Anaheim, California.

“I’m totally ecstatic that this award highlights the fantastic work from the students and postdocs who have been working with me since I started an independent research group,” Hickey said. “It is a huge honor to have our work by recognized by the Dillon Medal and by the polymer physics community.”

The APS said it selected Hickey for his “pioneering work in creating nonequilibrium structured soft materials.”

Hickey’s research focuses on identifying, controlling, and harnessing non-equilibrium chemical modifications and processing procedures to create responsive, multifunctional and hierarchically ordered polymeric materials. His lab seeks to create new materials using a combination of synthetic and self-assembly methods and investigates the interrelationships between chemistry and structure to uncover new avenues for tailoring materials properties.

Hickey previously received a National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, to develop methods for creating non-equilibrium materials, or materials with multiple, concurrent phases. These materials can mimic biomaterials found in nature and have broad applications in diverse fields like infrastructure, health care, and information processing

Prior to joining Penn State in 2016, Hickey was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota. He received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree from Widener University.